Transformation Update: Week 2, Day 8 |

Transformation Update: Week 2, Day 8

By Brandon Cook

Monday, December 7th, 2009

Thought of the Day:

“The totally awakened warrior can freely utilize all elements contained in heaven and earth. A warrior’s mind and body must be permeated with enlightened wisdom and deep calm.”
- Morihei Ueshiba

Featured Article:

You Should NEVER Skip a Workout or Should You?
By Sean Nalewanyj

If you want to be successful at anything, discipline and consistency are mandatory. You’ve got to be willing to work hard week in and week out, and put forth the effort even on those days when you’d rather stay at home, lie on the couch and relax. … Click Here to Learn More

Day 8 of My Transformation Journey:

Okay this is week two! The past weekend I spent stretching and recovering. I relax my schedule a little bit on the weekend. Usually Saturday is a CHEAT day and I enjoy a couple foods that I don’t normally eat. This Saturday I went to Ruby Tuesday and got a big, fat, juicy Bison burger with fries…. although I did have a huge salad before hand!

On Friday my ankle and knee were a little sore, but I trained anyway… probably shouldn’t have trained my legs because the soreness stuck over the weekend. I made sure to do some icing and today felt better. However, I decided to skip my walks with the weighted vest and skip training legs to let my knee and ankle heal up fully for Wednesday.

Instead, I trained my core with planks and side planks. Sometimes if a specific joint or body part is sore or hurts instead of skipping a whole workout you can just train something else. In this case I chose core because that is a weak point I need to bring up for squats and deadlifts.

Make sure to read the featured article above for some good advice on this topic.

My Morning Ritual:
Woke up at 6:30am
Drank 30 ounces of water
10 Minutes of Tai Chi/Qi Gong Exercises
15 Minutes of seated Meditation

Meal #1 Breakfast (7:00-8:00 am)
28g of Raw Sunflower Seeds
Forgot to eat my banana!

3 Whole Eggs (Organic/Cage Free)
Frozen Spinach
Onions, Green and Red Peppers
Pico Degalo
Mushrooms
1/4 Cup Organic Dark Red Kidney Beans
1/4 Cup of Cheese
Add a little Salsa and seasoning

8 ounces Orange Juice
16 ounces of water

GNC Multivitamin
GNC 1000mg Vitamin C
GNC 400 IU Vitamin E
Carlson 2,000 IU Vitamin D
Biotest Flameout Fish Oil – still waiting on my fish oils to come!
2 GNC Super Digestive Enzymes

Alright, shower time!

Warrior Walk #1:
15 Minutes of Walking my dogs. No vest today due to sore ankle and knee.

Time to head to work.
Upon arrival 8 ounces of Organic Coffee (black)

Meal #2: Brunch (10:00-11:00am)
12 Raw Almonds
28 grams of Raw Sunflower Seeds
2 Cheese Sticks
1 Apple
16 ounces of water

Meal #3: Lunch (1:00-2:00pm)

Chilli:
1/4lbs 97% Lean Hamburger
Dark Red Kidney Beans
Onions
Green and Red Peppers
Green Cabbage
Purple Cabbage
Tomotoes
Seasoning
Pasta Sauce

1/2 Cup Mixed Vegetables
1/2 Cup Brocolli
1/2 Cup of Carrots
1 piece of 60% Dark Chocolate
16 ounces of water
2 GNC Super Digestive Enzymes
8 ounces of Green Tea

Meal #4: Afternoon Snack (4:00-5:00pm)
12 Raw Almonds
1 Cheese Stick

1/2 Cup of Brocolli
Big Bowl of Mixed Field Greens
3 ounces of Tuna
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons of Red Wine Vinegar

1 Biotest Flameout Fish Oil Softgel– out of fish oil… still waiting.. come on Biotest!
16 ounces of water

Drank a cup of Organic Coffee (black) around 5:15pm.
It’s 5:30pm… time to go home… and DO THIS!!!!

Meal # 5: Peri-Workout Nutrition (6:00-8:00pm)
Peri-workout nutrition is simply what you eat before, during, and after your training sessions. If you get this right you are on your way to mass. Now, a lot of coaches will just tell you to go get a good supplement. Honestly, that’s better than not doing anything. So, if my strategy is too complex (time consuming) for you I recommend getting Biotest’s Surge Recovery.

I believe whole foods are better than supplements 99% of the time, so instead of paying for tubs of sugar I use fruit. There’s no way you can convince me that processed sugar/dextrose is better than living fruit. So, here’s my strategy:

10-15 Minutes Before Workout:
8-16 Ounces of Orange Juice (Freshly squeezed would be best, but I use store brand)
4 tablespoons (22 grams of protein) Optimum Nutrition Liquid Aminos

During Workout:
To make this drink you’ll need a juicer. I prefer to make fresh juice from actual fruit. This way I’m getting all of the beneficial vitamins, nutrients, and living enzymes that are often destroyed in the pastuerization process when you buy juice from the store.

3 ice cubes
1/4 cup orange juice (from store)
4 tablespoons (22 grams of protein) Optimum Nutrition Liquid Aminos
6 grams Ultimate Nurition BCAA
5 grams Optimum Nutrition Creatine
5 grams Optimum Nutrition Glutamine
1/4 Pineapple (freshly juiced)
1 apple or 1 cup grapes (freshly juiced)
1 cup cranberries (freshly juiced)
Top off container with orange juice

Warrior Training:

Warm Up:
10 Minutes Foam Roller
10 Minutes Dynamic Mobility Exercises

Shoulder/Back Rehab:
1. Facepulls (purple band) = 15 reps
2. Band rows (purple band) = 15 reps
3. Scaptions (10lbs dumbbells) = 15 reps
4. Bentover Lateral Raises (10lbs dumbbells) = 15 reps
5. Cuban Press (10 lbs dumbbells) = 15 reps
*Note: Each workout I’m increasing reps

Next I move on to a bodyweight circuit. I’m starting off slow and will be progressing over the next six months. I decided to start with bodyweight exercise to build a solid foundation from which I can build on. I typically superset two exercises at a time. So, I’ll start off with exercise #1 and then immediately do exercise #2. Take about 30-60 seconds rest and then I’ll superset #3 and #4 and so on.

Bodyweight circuit:
1. Pike Push-ups = 15 reps
2. Wide Grip Pull-ups = 8 reps
3. Feet Elevated Push-ups = 14 reps
4. Reverse Grip Inverted Rows = 13 reps
5. Dips = 11 reps
6. Neutral Grip Chin-ups = 4 reps
7. Elbow Plank = 1:30 time
8. Side Elbow Plank = 0:45 / 0:45 time
9. Unilateral Glute Bridges = 16/16 reps
10. Stability Ball Pikes = 15 reps
11. Stability Ball Side Neck Bridge = 0:50 / 0:50 seconds per side

Note: Great job… beat all of my previous reps and times! Progress Baby!

Then I did 10 reps Partial Lockout Squats (1 rack lower) with 315lbs and a 3 second holds at the top.

I’m doing these to get my body used to holding heavier weight. As of right now, I’m not very strong so 315lbs (double my bodyweight) is pretty heavy to me. My goal is to be able to squat this weight by the end of the six months. Every couple weeks I’ll lower the safety bars and increase the depth of the squat. I’ll be working other methods of squats in too. This is just one approach.

Warrior Walk #2:
Totally skipped out on the second walk tonight. Poor puppies!

Post-Workout Drink: Smoothie
8-16 ounces Orange Juice
1 Banana
1/2 cup frozen Strawberries
1/4 cup frozen Raspberries
1/4 cup frozen Blueberries
2-3 tablespoons Plain Yogurt
1 scoop Optimum Nutrition Natural Whey Protein (Vanilla)
6 grams Ultimate Nutrition BCAA
5 grams Optimum Nutrition Creatine
5 grams Optimum Nutrition Glutamine
1 serving Nutrijoint Formula

Meal #6: Dinner Time (9:30-10:30pm)
6-8 ounce chicken breast
1/2 cup Quinoa (a grain)
Salad (Romaine Lettuce and Baby Spinach)
Ginger Dressing
16 ounces of water

Time for bed!
1 mg Melatonin

Brandon

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About the Author:

Brandon Cook is creator of The Awakened Warrior Blog, and co-creator of HardgainerMuscleBuilding.com, a website specifically designed to teach hardgainers how to build muscle fast using the laws and scientific principles of body transformation.

HargainerMuscleBuilding.com features a free email class covering the basic principles of training naturally, eating a nutritious, muscle-building diet, and understanding the truth about supplements. The website is filled with free articles, videos, and the programs you need to create your ideal body.
Please visit us at http://hardgainermusclebuilding.com

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